Dust in the panel - any chance to clean it?

Hi guys,

I've got this iMac and for quite some time now it started collecting dust *in* the panel. At first it looked like it was just between the magnetic glass and the panel, but when I removed the glass to add a SSD and clean the panel I realized it's not just between the two parts.

So is there any way to open the panel and clean the dust out? It feels like it's getting worse and worse every week, especially on light backgrounds. It a grayish haze covering most of the left half of the screen.

4 Answers

Yes, you can take the display face glass off to clean. Be very careful here as it doesn't take much to break the glass or scratch the glass or LCD panel.

Before you start this job make sure you have plenty of desk space and have cleaned the area fully. Get a humidifier (running for a while before you start) to cut down on the static. Don't use any household cleaners as they will streak. A damp cloth with distilled water or reagent {very pure} quality of isopropyl or grain alcohol (don't use over the counter stuff!) is as far as you should go if you have something stubborn.

Before you clean the display use a can of can'ed air to blow out the system of all of the dust build up (moving is way from where your working on the display it's self)

Get plenty of 3M micro fiber poly dust cloths that don't shed to put down on the desk and use to wipe the glass. You should see about getting a good soft natural hair brush and vinyl gloves. You may want to wear a surgeons scrubs and hat so your body dirt & hair doesn't get on the glass as you work too (you don't want to take it apart again do you).

Some displays have metal tape wrapping around the edge. I found metal duct tape will work as a replacement if you damage it. Others have a Mylar tape which you can find at a good electronics supply house.

There is another way to blow dust out of your iMac without opening it.

Shut down your iMac.

Switch-off the power supply (power plug or UPS)

Press and hold the iMac power button

Switch-on the power (this has to be done while holding the iMac power button pressed)

Release the iMac power button

Now switch-on your iMac normally

It will turn on but you will notice that the internal fans are working at a high speed. You will be able to hear them and notice copious amounts of dust blowing out the top vent. You can continue working on your iMac without any issues. Let it run in this mode for around 8 hours. Doing this in monthly intervals cleans your iMac's innards.

Not a bad trick to move the light weight stuff (cat & dog fur). Most of the time I need to scrub a bit to dislodge the buildup, mostly on the fan blades and heat sink fins. This trick won't solve the dust behind the cover glass as well.

Thanks to neutralgrey for explaining what I just experienced. I turned on my pc after power was disconnected and the fan came on louder than I ever heard before and a bunch of dust blew out of it. On its own it did what neutralgrey recommended we do regularly. After I disconnected it for a while and then reconnected it returned to normal minimal fan noise.

You'll need to do a proper clean, neutral grey's solution only go so far. You may also have do a deeper investigation. I would recommend downloading a good thermal sensor & fan monitoring app. I like this one: Temperature Gauge Pro. Don't force the fans though the over-ride option! In the long haul you'll kill your system prematurely. Tell us what it tells you is running hot.